Cheese analogue cost less to make than real cheese. By carefully choosing the ingredients in the analogue, other characteristics such as the meltingtemperature and the taste can be changed. Flavour enhancers can be added to make the product taste similar to Parmesan, feta or Camembert cheese, for example. Food coloring is used to match the color of a cheese product. Real cheese undergoes a ripening process, cheese analogues do not have this: Usually, vegetable oil is heated, and mixed with a premade powder and water. Flavour enhancers are added. After cooling, the product is ready for packaging.

In Europe, cheese analogue is used for gastronomy and in bakeries; In the United States, it is marketed as a replacement for real cheese. The arguments used cater to people who do not want to use real cheese for personal reasons, or that cannot use it for health reasons.